"The Twilight Zone" was an
anthology show that ran from 1959 until 1964. The television
series, hosted by Rod Serling, told the tales of alternate
realities, possible futures, and other stories that centered on
science fiction themes and concepts.

Here are 10 technological
advances and issues that the show predicted that are relevant
today.

"Midnight Sun" predicted climate change.

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The show features episodes of extreme heat.

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CBS

In the episode "Midnight Sun,"
earth has deviated from its orbit and is moving ever closer to
the sun. The protagonist, Lois, attempts to survive the heat
inside of her apartment as her landlady dies from heat stroke.
Lois then wakes up to realize that she had been living a
nightmare brought on by a high fever.

"The Brain Center at Whipple's" showed a future where factory workers were replaced by robots.

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At the end of the episode, Whipple himself is replaced.

source

CBS

In "The Brain Center at
Whipple's," businessman Wallace A. Whipple replaces his employees
with automated robots to increase productivity and save money. As
he confronts a fired worker, Whipple defends his actions: "Two of
those machines replace a hundred and fourteen men who take no
coffee breaks, no maternity leaves, no vacations with pay!" At
the end of the episode, Whipple himself is replaced.

"He's Alive" reminded audiences that racism and hatred will always need to be confronted.

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The show confronts moral issues that still exist today.

source

CBS

"He's Alive" imagined a universe
where Adolf Hitler was alive and in hiding, advising new
Neo-Nazis like protagonist Peter Vollmer on how to lead through
violence and fear. The episode ended with Rod Serling's narration
as Volmer was killed by the police: "Anyplace, every place, where
there's hate, where there's prejudice, where there's bigotry …
he's alive. Remember it when you hear a name called, a minority
attacked, any blind, unreasoning assault on a people or any human
being."

"Number 12 Looks Just Like You" imagined a world obsessed with perfection.

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The show features characters who go to great lengths to achieve "perfection."

source

CBS

In "Number 12 Looks Just Like
You" young Marilyn Cuberle is forced to receive plastic surgery
over her entire body in order to be deemed acceptably beautiful.
Though she initially rebels against the beauty standards set
before her, Marilyn joins her best friend and mother as a
perfectly sculpted clone.

Although modern efforts are
progressing to address toxic and unrealistic beauty
standards,
plastic surgery
and dangerous
weight loss regimes
are seemingly everywhere in
women's magazines and popular social media accounts. Many people
struggle today to value natural beauty and self-love in a
sometimes
perfectionist society.

"From Agnes with Love" presented a world where humans and robots were closer than ever.

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The episode shows how quickly technology can take on human components.

source

CBS

In "From Agnes with Love," a
computer programmer named James Elwood confides in his computer
Agnes for advice on love and life. Elwood then realizes that
Agnes has been purposefully giving him terrible advice because
she has developed feelings for him and wants him for
herself.

Although the ending seems
far-fetched, Elwood's intimacy and reliance on Agnes has become
all too real with
modern artificial intelligence
programs like Siri and Alexa. Today technology users can use programs
like Siri and Alexa to ask questions, order tasks, and make
commands with the touch of a button.

"Static" predicted a future where people can easily access nostalgic memories.

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People seem to love the feeling of nostalgia.

source

CBS

In a 1961 episode of "The
Twilight Zone" titled "Static," a character listens to a favorite
radio broadcast on demand from when he was a child. Though it
seemed impossible at the time, the internet has made it easy for
users to access endless amounts of media content online,
including beloved television shows, films, and classic
commercials that
stir up nostalgia for the
past.

The concept for revisiting media
for nostalgia's sake is so commonplace that entire montages of
decades-old content is online just for that purpose.

In "A Thing About Machines," a
1939 Lagonda coupe follows a man around without a driver behind
its wheel. Although the car was possessed by a spirit and not the
product of computer programming, the episode predicted the
invention of driverless automobiles.

Today
self-driving cars are all too
real. Technology has
progressed far enough to create vehicles that can sense their
environments and make driving choices without human control. Only
a few driverless cars are on the road today, with some hiccups
still popping up in their design. Still, society is getting
closer every day to world where driverless cars are a daily
reality.

"The Obsolete Man" estimated an overreach in government surveillance.

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Americans are concerned with over surveillance today.

source

CBS

In "The Obsolete Man" a librarian
is considered obsolete in a future where government influence is
widespread and overreaching. With the invention of the internet
and increasing government intrusion in the lives of its private
citizens, the episode seems all too real today.

"Valley of the Shadow" featured a device that made atoms disappear.

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Invisibility is a common theme in "Valley of the Shadow."

source

CBS

The "Valley of the Shadow" is a
1963 episode that centers around a device that makes objects
invisible. It also has a "replicator" tool that can reproduce
atoms as well as technology that can reverse injury and
death.

Although we can't make atoms
disappear completely, modern scientists are
creating technology that renders
objects invisible to the naked eye. These products, named metamaterials, are
made of different materials including foam and photonic crystals
that bend waves of light. Products include "invisibility cloaks,"
communication devices, and earthquake-proof buildings.

"The Gift" focused on an irrational fear of immigrants.

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In the episode, local townspeople show hatred toward a newcomer.

source

CBS

In "The Gift," an episode set
along the Mexican border with Texas, a spaceship accidentally
kills a police officer as it crash lands on earth. Though the
alien inside is benevolent and offers to bestow the townspeople
with a gift that will save humanity, the townspeople react only
with hatred.